Quintessential Quintuplets: Zero
by TheNameIsKaze
Summary: Before the story of a certain boy with a bowl haircut, before the story of five blooming flowers... There was a story about friendship, stitching and shattering, a tragedy of a trio. This is a story based on the "Isanari - Maruo" theory I uploaded on Reddit, as a two-part oneshot.


_Japan, 1987_

_Asahiyama High School_

Japan, 1987, when the whole country is celebrating a special event, Japanese asset price bubble, as life is going so well to many people. For the students, they have the chance to go to school, to achieve some knowledge, to become the future of the country. Things are not much different at Asahiyama High School, but there is something unique, or in the other words, someone unique.

At Asahiyama High School, where students are studying hard to win a place at university, there is still one certain boy, with scores at the rate of mediocre, being seen as a "special one", but not in a good way. His name?

"Yo, Maruo! Long time no see!" Just another morning at his school, he came in the class and greeted his friend, his best friend. Or at least he believes that boy is his best friend.

"What do you mean 'long time no see'? Didn't we meet yesterday… Isanari?" The boy, who was Maruo, sighed and put down the book he had been reading and turned to Isanari, the one who greeted him.

"Aw, that's so cold, Maruo." Isanari purred and pulled out his desk's chair, dragged it closer to Maruo's. "Anyway, Maruo, have you done your homework? If so, can I-"

"Yes, I have done it, and no, I'm not giving it to you, lazy head!" Maruo told Isanari, which made the boy scratched the back of his head and pouted. "How the hell could you get to final year, anyway? It's incredible to someone slacking like you." Maruo asked, thinking about how Isanari could be in the same class as him.

"Yep, there you go again, spitting out evil truths from your mouth…" Isanari pouted and rested his chin on Maruo's desk, which Maruo found annoying but he tried ignoring it, continuing with his book.

Although not considering Isanari as his best friend, more than anyone, Maruo understands what kind of person Isanari is. The golden-haired boy is a lazy student, someone who doesn't care much about studying and getting good scores. He always gets in trouble with many teachers, and there was also time when he beat up other students at school and got suspended, though his situation now is much better than before. In the final semester of his second year, he managed to get just enough scores to reach final year. Even so, Maruo is still a bit worried. Once again, Isanari hasn't done his homework, which combining to the other times he didn't, the number is… uncountable. Looking at how lazy his friend is, Maruo sighs and takes out his notebook. "Here, do it fast! The teacher is coming!" He said and handed it to Isanari, which made the golden-haired boy beam a smile.

"With the power of Flash Gordon, I'll complete this within 5 minutes!" Isanari announced and picked up his pen, started copying Maruo's homework immediately.

'Why is he so different now? Where is that lazy self?' Maruo thought as he looked at Isanari impressively, then he shook his head and continued with his book. For Maruo, comparing him with Isanari is like night and day. He's an excellent students, a very hard-working one with perfect scores. He has his parents' expectation to be a successful one in the future, having a lot of achievements. But with his studying manner, he is seen as a cold and serious individual by his classmates. So for the exchange of being a good students, he doesn't have friends, except Isanari.

Isanari considers him as his friend because of two things, mostly their families. Both the Uesugis and the Nakanos are poor, and even the Japanese asset price bubble can't help them much. They both have the same situation, and as for Isanari, he thinks that friends with the same ambience usually get on really well. For some additional reasons, he believes that with Maruo as an excellent student, he can learn a lot from him, or at least being saved in studying thanks to him.

"Anyway, Maruo, what are you reading? You seem very concentrated with it." Isanari, after he finished his homework, he returned the notebook and asked Maruo.

"Just some stuffs for my future. You won't understand, Isanari." Maruo mumbled through his book, which made his friend even more curious. The golden-haired boy then leans to the front of the book to read the title.

'Advanced Human Biology and Medical.'

"Holy crap, Maruo, are you trying to be Black Jack?!" Isanari was astonished with his book.

"I don't even know what kind of comic characters you were talking about! Who the hell is Black Jack anyway? How can I understand that?!" Maruo said furiously and kept reading, which made Isanari bored of him and returned to his seat.

"So you're not a man of culture? That's sad…" Isanari mumbled and laid his head on the desk, about to rest his eyes while waiting for the teacher.

"Isanari…" Maruo called his friend.

"Yeah?"

"If you just keep being lazy like this, you won't be able to win a place at any university. Just a warning." Maruo said concernedly, seeing how slacking his friend was.

"… Fine, whatever. My goal is to travel around the world anyway…" Isanari mumbled with his face planted on the desk and gave an ok sign. He doesn't seem to care about studying, as he has his other dream to do: travelling and exploring the world, which Maruo finds it childish and unrealistic. He just keeps on with his book, until the school bell rings.

Just as usual, the teacher walks in with her bag full of exercise papers. However, this time, there is someone else following her behind. After the class greets the teacher, she introduces the person. "Class, today we have a new student. Please introduce yourself." She told the new female student. The student then steps ahead from the teacher and introduce herself.

"Just call me Rena." was all she said.

"… Okay, Rena-chan, why don't you…" The teacher stopped for a moment and looked for a seat for the new student, Rena, until she found one next to Maruo's. "Why don't you go to that seat over there, next to that black-haired boy?" She pointed at the seat for Rena to sit on.

Isanari, after struggling to lift his head up from the desk, turns it to Maruo's side, where Rena is sitting next to him. He notices her long, black hair, with her bangs cover a bit of her eyes. From Rena, he can see a mysterious person, waiting to be explored her personality. "Hey, Maruo." Isanari whispered to his friend. "That girl, Rena, is quite a thing, isn't it? Since she's new to the class, perhaps you and I can make friend with her."

"How childish." Maruo replied as he put away his book. "Making friends is only a waste of time. Instead, I suggest you to pay attention to your lesson. Look up the blackboard, Isanari, the teacher is writing today's lesson on it. Time to study." He told Isanari and took out his notebook and pen, writing down the lesson.

"Yeah… As you wish…" Isanari sighed and took out his notebook as well, but his eyes looked out the windows, where the morning sunray shines through the leaves, with birds are chirping the song of early morning. A new day has come.

O0O

"Today's lessons were so difficult! I just can't wait to go home and rest…" Isanari covered the back of his head and sighed, while walking exhaustedly with Maruo. Under the orange of afternoon sky, they are heading home together after school. Seeing his friend like that, Maruo shakes his head, tired of Isanari.

"They wouldn't be if you paid more attention to them…" The black-haired student said. He remembers that in class, once again, Isanari didn't pay much attention to the lessons. There was also time when the teacher caught him sleeping during the lesson, but luckily he didn't get any trouble. "Isanari, if you just keep up like this, I'm afraid you won't graduate from high school." Maruo said.

"Since when Mr. Ice King actually cares about me?" Isanari asked with a yawn. "Don't worry. After I'm done with this school, I'll be picking up my suitcase and go around the world."

"Are you even serious, Isanari?! Do you even think that dream would come true?!" Maruo suddenly scolded Isanari, which made the golden-haired boy flinched. After noticing that, Maruo shakes his head and looks away from his friend. "N-Nothing. Let's just… go home then…" He told Isanari and continued walking, with the boy following him behind.

After they reach the school's entrance, suddenly, they hear someone screaming. There is a group of bullies, surrounding a girl and asking for her money. "Come on, babe, you look very rich! Just let us lend some money will ya?" One of them asked the girl rudely, showing her his empty hand, as a sign of begging for money. The girl tries to escape but she can't, as more and more bullies covering her, blocking all her exits.

'Geez… Failures these days… Just keep on bullying, with absolutely no hope for their future…' Maruo thought and turned to Isanari. "Isanari, let's go home. Using your time to do homework is much more efficient than dealing with these idiots." He told his friend, but he didn't hear anything. "Isanari? Did you understand what I said?"

"That girl… seems familiar, don't you think?" Isanari held his chin and leaned his head closer, tried to see more clearly. "Is it… Rena?" Isanari asked. Maruo looks at the group again and also recognizes Rena, who is being bullied. However, he still sticks to his point and thinks of avoiding the bullies.

"Look, even if it was Rena or any kind of student, I would not charge into there! Knowing you, I believe that you really want to play the hero game, but please, don't!" Maruo said, his eyes were showing that he was scared. He doesn't want to mess with any other school's bullies, as he believes violent is not the best way to solve thing and words are better. However, judging by the looks of these students, he knows that their brains are so empty that he can't just stuff words into it. But Isanari shakes his head, approaches Maruo and puts his hand on the black-haired boy's shoulder.

"Maruo, she's just like us, friendless and lonely. We need to show her that there is someone still cares about her. This is our first chance to make friend with a girl, _a girl_, Maruo! Chances like this don't come twice!" Isanari explained. "Also, this lunch, I saw her eating alone, and that was really sad! I really wanted to come to her and say 'hi', but I couldn't, and I really regretted it!"

"That's just because you're a coward, not caring about her!" Maruo retorted.

"Oh so now I'm a coward?! Then so are you for not saving her!"

"Why the hell are you dragging me into this?!"

"Alright, you two squirrels, what are you doing here?!" They were both arguing when they heard someone's noise. They look up to find out the bullies have approached them, grinning at them devilishly and preparing their baseball bats. "So, you two saw what we did to her?" The bully asked and lifted Rena up by grabbing her arm and pulling up, made Rena grit her teeth in pain.

"Let go… of me… please…" Rena begged, but there was no use.

"Don't you worry, little girl. We'll take a good care of you later, after we give these two little soldier a free trip to the hospital!" The bully told Rena, then he pointed at Maruo and Isanari, giving them a dirty smile. Maruo is absolutely terrified, continuously blaming Isanari for getting them into this situation, while Isanari is just counting the number of bullies.

"15, eh? I guess this is the end of our life…" Isanari said calmly.

"How can you be so chill?! We're cornered! There is not any chance for us to survive!" Maruo shouted in horror.

"Not quite, Maruo… Don't lose hope that easy…" Isanari said as he was stepping up, approaching the bullies. "You know what? Even if this is dangerous to my life, I'll deal with this. Meanwhile…" Isanari told Maruo, but he stopped and gave the bully a kick, releasing Rena from his grab, then he pushed Rena to his friend. "Take Rena and run! Tell my family I say hi!" Isanari left his last words and turned to the bullies, giving them a confident smile.

"Isanari…" Maruo mumbled as he grabbed Rena's hand.

"You little dog crap! Who do you think you are?!" The bully asked, with one of them blew cigarette's smoke into Isanari's face. Still with his smile, he points at every single bullies around him.

"Spread your earholes and listen carefully, as you won't get a second time to hear it! My name is Isanari Uesugi, and with the dream of travelling around the world, I'll be the-one-who-kick-the-bullies'-ass-and-make-friend-with-a-girl!" Isanari announced and pointed his thumb at himself, with a beaming smile on his face.

"YOU LITTLE SH*T!" The bullies started charging at him, as Isanari turned his head to Maruo and Rena the last time, before he joined the fight.

"RUN, MARUO-KUN!" The golden-haired boy shouted, then landed the first kick on the first bully. He used to study karate when he was at secondary school, so he can easily take care each and every bullies, one by one, kicks after punches. The fight is a whole mess, as no one can even see the target, except Isanari. He keeps showing off his technique as he fights the bullies, beating one by one, until a twist happens.

When he doesn't recognize, one of the bullies grabs a metal baseball bat, goes behind him and holds it up, about to swing it down to his neck and knock him out. Isanari is really enjoying beating down the bullies, when he realizes there is someone behind him. He turns his head around to see one of them about to swing the baseball bat at him. The moment he thinks it's too late, when he lowers his head and squeezes his eyes close, that's when he thought his life is over…

Until someone dashes to him and blocks the baseball bat, then stomps the bully in the stomach, knocks him to a nearby wall. Finding out he is still okay, he slightly opens his eyes, and the sight reveals in front of him is Maruo, still keeping his kicking position.

"Let me tell you my deepest secret, Isanari. You know what it is?" Maruo asked, his hair covered his eyes.

"… Yeah?"

"I HATE when someone puts 'kun' after my name! And when someone does that…" Maruo angrily said and landed another punch on other bully. "I need to find something to break!"

"… I didn't know you have an alternate personality. Very nice, Maruo-chan." Isanari said the last part in English and smiled, then turned to the bullies. "So, smart guy, what is your plan?" He asked Maruo.

"You, left. Me, right."

"What?! Are you cheating?! The left side has more delinquents!"

"Look, you want to protect her or not?!"

"Fine… Let's do this!"

Isanari said his last words after his sigh, then both of them charged at the bullies in different sides. While Isanari is throwing punches at them, Maruo, with his learning from judo, he is landing kicks after kicks on the bullies. Within five minutes, they have taken care of the remaining bullies, bringing safe to Rena, with their bodies scattering around the pavement.

"Nice teamwork!" Isanari said with a high-five to Maruo, which the black-haired boy returned it.

However, before they can even celebrate, more and more students from the bullies' school come, as they all have the angry expression on their faces, ready to kill both of the boys. Maruo, after seeing that, returns to his own self and starts shivering. Meanwhile, Isanari checks on Rena, who is still behind both of them, then starts thinking of a plan to deal with the new group.

"A-Alright, Isanari, what do we do now?! There are even more of them!" Maruo asked, the fear came back to him again. Isanari then starts counting the new delinquents and summing them up.

"30. Or at least with my poor counting, that's what I think." Isanari said.

"Then tell me! What's your plan this time?! It's your turn!"

"I thought you know judo. You can still take care of them, right?"

"Yeah, but I quit that class a long time ago! That's all I can remember! Do something!"

After a few seconds of thinking, Isanari releases his hold from his chin, as a sign of figuring out a brilliant plan. "I have a plan to solve this, but we all have to do this together, even you, Rena."

"Even her?" Maruo asked, pointed at Rena, who was terrified.

"Yes! This is our last plan, last of the lasts! So even if you're on the verge of dying, you still have to do this with all your life, devote all your heart into it! Are you ready?!"

"… Fine, let's do this! What is it?!" After a few seconds of thinking, Maruo answered, which made Isanari nod. Then, he approaches Rena and grabs her hand.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, MARUO!" Isanari screamed and dragged Rena along with him, running all the way of the pavement, which made Maruo look at him dumbstruck. However, he soon gets back his cool, picks up his legs and starts running.

"GOD DAMN IT, ISANARI!"

"AFTER THEM!"

O0O

"Are they gone?"

"… Apparently so." Maruo said, as both of them started sliding down from the wall to the ground, panting heavily. Before Isanari can say anything, Maruo scolds him. "It's all your fault! Why did you have to mess with them anyway?!"

"Look who's walking… as far as I can remember, you were the most energetic one in term of fighting…" Isanari said and smirked. "Anyway, are you okay, Rena? Did they take anything from you?" He asked Rena concernedly, who was also sitting next to them, panting heavily.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking!"

"Shh! Quiet, Maruo-kun, let Rena talk."

"Maruo-" Maruo was full of anger, but Isanari told him to keep silence for Rena, so he accepted unwillingly. They wait for Rena to stay calm, to breathe normal again before she can say anything.

"You know… It's very bizarre to drag a girl you've just met for 10 minutes along the street, guys." Rena said, made both the boys slightly embarrassed.

"Well, it was an emergency. We have to act fast. But we agree with you. Sorry about that…" Isanari said, but Maruo seemed to disagree.

"We? Oh so now there's 'we'? That was your stupid plan!" Maruo retorted.

"Stupid, but efficient. That's how the Uesugis solve problems."

"Are you kidding me?!" Maruo shouted, when suddenly he heard someone giggling. It comes from Rena, who seems to enjoy the words fight between the boys.

"You guys… really will work well if you're thinking about making a comedy duo." Rena giggled. However, when she sees how strangely Isanari and Maruo are looking at her, she stops giggling and coughs. "I'm sorry… I am a bit rude, aren't I?" Rena bowed down her head, avoided their gazes and fidgeted her uniform skirt. But then, Isanari approaches her and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"No, that's actually not a bad idea. I think we can work well as a duo. Right, Maruo?" He said, then turned his head to Maruo, who was slightly blushing.

"Yeah… But that's definitely not happening in the future!" Maruo declared.

"Who know, Maruo-kun? Perhaps someday, you and I can travel around the world as a happy couple~~"

"I AM NOT-"

"Guys, please, stop fighting! I can't stop… laughing…" Rena told both of them as she couldn't hold her laughter. Seeing how happy Rena is, especially comparing to her some minutes ago, brings a smile to Isanari. For Maruo, even how cold and unemotional he is, also feels relieved when he sees Rena like that.

"You really like laughing at someone's pain, huh?" Maruo mumbled and shook his head, then he stood up, looked up to the sky, where the orange was slowly turning to black. "It's getting late. We should be home right now." He told both Isanari and Rena. "Are you sure you can go home all by yourself, Rena?"

"Please don't treat me like a kid! I know how to protect myself." Rena said, but then her face started blushing. "But still… thanks for the concerning…"

"Ooh~ Look at you, actually care about a girl~" Isanari teased Maruo, which the black-haired found it annoying, but he tried to let it pass.

"Alright, Isanari, let's go. See you at school then, Rena." He told Isanari, as the golden-haired stood up from the ground and followed along. However, when they are about to leave, both of their uniforms are tugged by Rena, who has already stood up. She tried to hold them back.

"Wait, both of you. Can we…" Rena asked, but she found it difficult to say. Taking all of her courage, she finally manages to spit out the words. "Can we… be friends?"

"… Of course we can! My name is Isanari Uesugi! You will get a lot of chances to hear it even without spreading your earholes!"

"That's just so impolite, Isanari!" Maruo scolded him, then turned to Rena. "Nakano. Maruo Nakano."

"Alright then! See you guys tomorrow, Isanari-kun, Maruo-kun!" Rena happily said and left, headed to her home. The same with her, both the boys start heading home, thinking of all the things happened.

"Interesting girl, don't you think?" Isanari asked.

"Yeah… Like a mysterious flower. People don't know what it really is when it's still a knop. But when it starts blooming, they will be astonished by its beauty." Maruo said and sighed. But when he turns to his side, he sees Isanari smirking at him. "W-Why are you making that face?" He asked.

"I don't know Maruo can be this deep…" Isanari beamed a smile, which made Maruo blush again.

"J-Just ignore me! That's just some random stuffs in my head!" The black-haired boy said and turned away, as the boys were walking home under the evening sky, with stars shining all over it.

And from this evening sky, a story has begun

The story of a trio, of a thought-to-be long lived friendship.

**Quintessential Quintuplets: Zero**

**(Part 1)**

O0O

_The day before the final semester exam_

"Okay, Isanari-kun, for this exercise, you have to calculate this first, then separate it into two conditions. By doing that, it will be easier to find X. Got it?" Rena asked Isanari. She is teaching him how to do his exercise, as both of them and Maruo are studying in the library, preparing for the final exam. Isanari, thanks to Rena, finally understands and knows how to do it.

"Oh wow, I've got the answer! Thanks, Rena!" Isanari shouted in excitement as he actually did it. Seeing Isanari like that brings a smile to Rena's face.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Wait here and keep studying, okay? I'll be right back!" Rena said as she went away, looking for something. While she is leaving, Maruo puts his eyes away from his book and gazes at Rena, until she is out of the library. With doing that, he's had Isanari's attention.

"10 seconds! That's the longest time Maruo Nakano has ever laid his eyes on a girl! Such a Guinness World Record! Note that down!" Isanari announced.

"Are you trying to piss me off? Keep studying!" Maruo ordered. "But to be honest, I'm surprised. This must be also your World Record for The longest time holding a pen and a book. Are you Isanari's doppelganger? Did you fall off from any staircase?" Maruo asked, impressive by how Isanari was, hard-working and paid much more attention on his studying.

"Oh come on. Do you always have to be cruel like that?" Isanari asked, then he scratched his forehead. "It's just… I think this is the time to care more about my studying. You guys are some excellent students, I can't just keep staying behind. I really have to step up!" Isanari declared, which made Maruo smile a little for his friend.

"So that traveling-around-the-world dream is finally postponed?" Maruo asked.

"Nope. It's still there." Isanari answered.

"God damn it, Isanari! I thought-"

"But I think I'll put it aside, as there is something else I want to do, or in the other words, something to achieve before doing that."

"… Very well." Maruo said in relief and continued with his book. By the time they stop their conversation, Rena comes back with a bag of cookies.

"Break time, guys!" Rena announced, almost sounded like she was whispering. "Here, each of you, have some. As our grandparents used to say, only food can help you studying, right?" However, Maruo doesn't seem to agree, as he looks at the library rules, which has 'No eating' as one of them.

"Hey, put it away! Isn't that against the rules?!" Maruo whispered, but Rena shook her head for denial.

"Oh dear, Maruo-kun. Look, you are not breaking the rules if you are not caught. So as long as these cookies a secret, just enjoy yourself." Rena smiled and grabbed a cookie, started eating it. Also grabbing a cookie, Maruo looks at it for a while, considering between eating and not eating. "What's wrong, Maruo-kun? You don't like it?" Rena asked, with her mouth full of cookies.

"… God heavenly, forgive me." Maruo mumbled and ate the cookie, received an ovation from Rena and Isanari. 'Damn it, you two!' Maruo thought, felt embarrassed and got back to his book, hiding his face behind it.

"By the way, Maruo-kun, you always read that book. How special is it to you anyway?" Rena asked, pointing at the book. With this question, Maruo doesn't really want to answer. He also has a dream like Isanari, but comparing to traveling around the world, this dream is much harder and more unrealistic to achieve. "Come on, Maruo, tell us! We really want to know!" Rena encouraged him, with Isanari looked like he was also looking for the answer. Can't keep the secret much longer, Maruo decides to spit it out.

"I want to be a doctor. No. I want to be a top doctor, with superb skills to save anyone, identify any kind of illness or disease. With that, I'll become the savior of the whole world!" Maruo announced, created an awkward silence. After a short amount of time, both Isanari and Rena start laughing. "See?! I know how embarrassed it is!" Maruo shouted, with red all over his face.

"No, it's not, Maruo-kun." Rena tried to stop laughing and brushed her long, black hair. "That is a wonderful dream. You're really ambitious, Maruo-kun!"

"Yeah, at least it's much easier to do than my travelling around the world." Isanari told Maruo.

"Guys…" Was all Maruo could say. He's surprised that his friends didn't think it was stupid. And with that, he's proud to have them as his friends.

"Also, Maruo, with that, I just wish that you were several years older, so you could cure my mother." Rena said, which caught Maruo's attention.

"Rena's mom?"

"Yes. A few years ago, she had a terminal illness, which doctors didn't even know what it was. With that, she passed away… but no one knows what the cause was…" Rena told her story, with her voice turned from cheerful to sad. She lowers her head when she continues. "It's strange, isn't it? People in family, especially female, just passed away before 60 because of terminal illness, but until now, we don't even know what it is…" She said sadly, then looked up to him. "Maruo-kun, if someday I get something like that, will you be the one to cure me, the world's future doctor?"

"… You know, calling me 'the world's future doctor' is quite a heavy responsibility, like putting weights on my shoulders. But if you ask something like that, then yeah, I'll try…" Maruo said, looked away from Rena, scratching the back of his neck. His words, even though they were still unsure, bring a smile to Rena. Seeing Rena's smile, Maruo starts blushing, so he stands up from his chair, about to take his leave.

"I… have something to do at home. I'll be going now. Bye guys!"

"Maruo, wait!" Rena called for him, but he didn't return. However, he turns around and faces his friends.

"Make sure to pass the final exam, both of you! I'll try my best, too!" Maruo shouted at them, or more like whispered to them and left the library.

Seeing Maruo leaving so soon, Rena sits down and pouts. "Maruo-kun, you idiot. Why leaving us so soon?" She mumbled, which was enough for Isanari to hear.

"… You like Maruo, don't you?" The golden-haired boy asked, made her blush.

"W-W-What? No! I just-"

"Girl, please. Judging by your face, I know what is happening." Isanari said. "Let me rephrase, so you'll find it much easier to answer, okay? You have a feeling for him, right?"

"… Yes." Rena admitted. "I… actually have had my eyes on him just recently. I mean he's cold, he's serious and sometimes way too strict. But after knowing him, studying with him, I really like how ambitious he is, how much he cares for other people, but he just doesn't want to show it. He's… a special kind of person, you know?"

"… Well, that sucks…" Isanari mumbled, but still enough for Rena to hear.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"N-Nothing!" Isanari said. "But you know, as my grandpa used to say, you have to tie the buffalo or it will run away."

"What's up with all of your family's strange quotes, anyway?" She giggled.

"No, he actually has a point." Isanari stated. "That means if you like him, then just go for it. After the final exam, after the graduation day, I don't know. Just confess to him! Use all of your bravery! I'm sure he is the most suitable one for you!" The boy said. His words finally bring some courage to her, about confessing to Maruo.

"Thanks for your wisdom, Isanari-sensei! I'll remember it!" She smiled, accepted his advice and went out of the library cheerfully. A goal for her has been made. After graduating from high school, she will confess to Maruo once and for all, making her first step of love and courage. The black-haired girl now filled with happiness and excitement, waiting for the day to come.

As for Isanari, looking at Rena skipping out the library's doors, he leans his back on the chair, stares at the ceiling with spinning fan. He then lets out a sigh, filled with disappointment and sadness. Deep inside, he knows that in the future, only his best friend, Maruo, can make Rena happy. It's also Maruo's promise to cure Rena's illness if she happens to have one. However, Isanari doesn't know why he is having such a pain in his stomach, regretting what he said. Deep inside, he knows he should be happy for Rena to get her confession accepted by Maruo, but instead, he is feeling… regretful.

'_That… sounds like a rejection, does it?'_

O0O

Graduation day

As cherry blossom's petals flying in the wind, dotting some pink on the bright blue sky, students are beaming with happiness, with mortarboards on their heads, wearing academic dresses. They are all happy for graduating Asahiyama High School, starting their university and college life from now on. However, for a certain girl, this is also her opportunity, or in the other words, her last shot.

"Rena, why are you dragging me here? Why don't we join Isanari?" Maruo asked, as he was being dragged behind the school by Rena. Staying away from the craziness of graduation atmosphere, they both stand below a cherry blossom tree, starring at each other in the eyes. A slight wind blows through them, flows Rena's long hair and makes her mortarboard almost drop to the ground, which she takes it off and holds it with both of her hands.

"Maruo-kun… Do you know why we're here?" Rena asked. Due to her short figure, comparing to his, she has to lean up and tiptoe. She moves closer to Maruo, which makes him slightly blush.

"Um… to celebrate our graduation?" Maruo asked, which made Rena giggle.

"Maruo-kun, you really don't have much experience with this, right?" Rena asked. "Well, let me do the talking first."

"Rena, what are you-" Maruo uttered, but his hands were grabbed by Rena. They both move closer under the cherry blossom tree, or more like Rena drags Maruo closer.

"Maruo-kun… From that day when you and Isanari-kun saved me, I found something special. You are special, Maruo-kun. I love your studying spirit, I love how ambitious you are, and I love how helpful you were trying to be, but you didn't want to show it."

"Rena, what do you-"

"Maruo, you're a special one, and you want to have a special life, an extraordinary one. So let me be your starting line, as you're about to be on a special journey."

"Rena… What you want to say is…" Maruo asked. His eyes wide open, as Rena moves even closer to him. With that, under the wind, with cherry blossom's petals flying through, four magic words have been spoken, with the hope of sealing their fate.

"I love you, Maruo."

Just like the time has stopped, the world stops advancing, as everything is waiting for the result of the confession. This certain young girl, Rena, has waited for so long to finally speak out these words. More than anyone, she hopes that Maruo will accept her confession. As for Maruo, he doesn't know how to react to it, as everything came so fast. Just yesterday, he and Isanari saved Rena from a gang of bullies, and now, she is standing in front of him, face to face, eyes to eyes.

"Rena…" Maruo started, which made Rena's heart pump faster. "You really are a special friend to me. For my entire school life, I've never made a female friend, as nobody wanted to make friend with someone like me. But you… you did. You became my friend, and along with Isanari, I really want to keep you guys in a precious place in my heart."

Suddenly, the world advances again, as everything seems to turn back to normal. The bright blue sky has somehow become dark, with small, cool wind turns into a strong and chilly one.

"But I'm sorry, Rena. I can't accept your confession."

His words bring Rena back to ground, as she is shocked. She can't even stand still on the ground. The branches on the cherry blossom tree start swaying with the strong wind, almost like they will break anytime. "What… What do you mean, Maruo? You don't want to accept my love?" Rena wide opens her eyes, can't believe what she heard, her hands have released from Maruo's.

"As I've told you, I have quite a career to follow. I am not ready for all of these love stuffs. Rena, you are my special friend, but that's the furthest I consider from you. I'm sorry…"

"… No, it's alright." Rena said, forced herself to smile.

"Rena, I really am-"

"No, Maruo-kun, just… no. I'm also sorry for giving you such a shocker. I'll… be going… now…" Rena said, then she slowly moved away from Maruo, before running away from him, dropping her mortarboard, leaving him with the tree.

For Maruo, he himself doesn't think that he deserves Rena. To him, Rena is someone special. Rena is one of his best friends, along with Isanari, someone who talked to him, cared about him, being nice to him, which was the first time he has ever had. For that, Maruo believes that she deserves someone better, not just a guy who just sticks his head into studying, not just a guy with a delusional dream of being the second Black Jack. And with that reason…

'_Rena, I like you. But I think Isanari is more suitable for you. Sorry about that, but I hope you'll realize it.'_

"Hey, Rena! How was the confession? Geez, the wind suddenly becomes so strong, can you feel it?" Isanari greeted Rena, hoping to receive some good news. However, he gets no response from her. She just shakes her head and leaves, with some little teardrops falling from her eyes, something he can't see.

After a while, Maruo approaches Isanari, who is still wondering why Rena was leaving so soon, before they can even take a group photo. "Yo, Maruo. So, how was it? Did you tell Rena to build a house for both of you?" Isanari asked.

"… Wait, she is not with you?" Maruo asked, also wondering where she was.

"What are you talking about? Didn't she just confess-" Isanari asked, but soon covered his mouth before he could say the important part. However, Maruo is clever enough to know what he was trying to ask.

"… You're behind this, aren't you?" Maruo asked.

"Maruo, I…"

"Be honest. You encouraged her to confess to me, didn't you?"

"Well… since she liked you, I told her to pick a date and confess to you… Is there anything wrong?" Isanari asked. He is having a feeling of confused and worried, mixed together into a mess. Hearing his friend, Maruo just gives a facepalm himself and shakes his head, slightly regrets what he said.

"And I was thinking about her confessing to you…" He mumbled.

"What's wrong, Maruo? What did you do to Rena?" Isanari asked, then Maruo just shot back up and looked straight into his friend's eyes.

"I have an announcement to make! We are now a bunch of idiots!" Maruo scolded Isanari. "What did I do to her?! Boy, BOTH OF US did something to her! You shouldn't have told her to confess, and I shouldn't have rejected her that way! Now we have a broken girl! Just yesterday, we made friend with her, and now we make her sad! How f*cking cool is that?!"

"So you mean… oh no…" Isanari mumbled, then his legs gave up to the ground. He collapses on his knees, while his friend is clenching his fists, squeezing the certificate he is holding, looking away from him. Both of them feel bad inside, as they just did something horrible. Something that could ruin their friendship completely.

"Maruo, I can-"

"Isanari, no! Just… don't. You're not helping. Leave me alone…" Maruo shouted, but soon turned into a whisper. Lowering his head, he walks out of the school's entrance, perhaps going home or just nowhere, leaving the golden-haired boy behind.

Looking at Maruo leaving the scene, he covers his face shakenly, then takes a look at his certificate. Without them, he wouldn't be able to graduate, but now he feels that he has made a horrible mistake. He takes out his wallet, with the photo of them smiling together as a study group. With that, some hot tears start falling down the photo, damping it. He grips it so tight that it becomes wrinkle, pushing all of his anger into it. "Maruo… Rena… You guys…"

"I'm sorry."

And with that, the thought-to-be beautiful and sunny graduation day, turns out to be a gloomy and depressing one. This is the point where their friendship starts shattering…

O0O

_A/N: Thanks for reading the first part of this oneshot._

_This is actually one of the most time-consuming fanfic I've ever written, and to be honest, I'm glad I did, as I really want to turn my little theory into a story._

_The second (and final) part is coming, as I'm thinking of the way to end this._

_See you in the next update. Bye for now._

_**-TheNameIsKaze-**_


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